Split-type refrigeration apparatuses comprising an outdoor unit equipped with a compressor, a condenser, and a receiver and an indoor unit equipped with an expansion valve and an evaporator are well known. The refrigerant charging of split-type refrigeration apparatuses configured in this manner has conventionally been handled by charging the outdoor unit with a prescribed amount of refrigerant in advance and charging additional refrigerant onsite in accordance with the length of the piping connecting the outdoor unit to the indoor unit when the apparatus is installed.
When the refrigerant charging amount is determined onsite during installation, the performance and reliability of the equipment becomes dependent on the quality of the installation and, in some cases, the maximum capacity of the refrigeration apparatus cannot be realized.